Cut tip and tail off spaghetti squash, then cut in half. Scoop out seeds using a sturdy metal spoon. Rub halves with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on baking pan, cut sides down. Bake approximately 45 minutes, or until spaghetti squash is soft. (Squash is done when one can easily poke a knife through the skin and into the flesh.)

While spaghetti squash is baking, prepare beef Bolognese sauce. Saute onion and carrot in olive oil for a few minutes, then add mushrooms. Once softened, add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and basil; stir to combine. Add wine and cook down until almost dry. Add in tomato puree and cook, covered, on low heat for 15 minutes. Add honey and stir to combine.

To serve:

When spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to gently scrape the flesh out, making your 'noodles.' Serve beef Bolgonese sauce over spaghetti squash noodles, and top with Parmesan, to taste.

Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Confit and Wilted Spinach

Chef Jim Kyndberg from Bayport Cookery prepared the dish, using ingredients from Thousand Hills Cattle Company

To cook beef, trim beef tenderloin of all silver skin and excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Place on a hot grill and sear on all sides until golden brown. Place on a roasting pan and transfer to a pre-heated 400° oven and cook to an internal temperature of 125° for medium rare (adjust cooking time for your preference). Remove meat from oven; let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.

To cook oxtail, season each piece of oxtail with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot sauté pan with olive oil until golden brown on each side. Place seared meat in a roasting pan or heavy casserole dish. Add onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Pour red wine and beef stock over meat and vegetables. Cover pan with foil and slow cook in oven at 285° for at least 6 hours or until meat is fork tender. Strain and set aside braising juices.

To prepare garlic confit, peel cloves from garlic bulbs and place in sauté pan with 1 cup extra virgin olive oil. Place pan on medium heat and cook garlic just until it begins to brown. Take pan off heat, add fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Cover pan and place in 285° oven for approximately 1 hour.

Clean meat from oxtail and shred. Place this oxtail meat in a sauté pan with garlic confit and spinach. Warm over medium heat until spinach has wilted. Slice beef tenderloin into desired portions and top with oxtail mixture, and spoon some braising juices on the side.

Take sirloin out of fridge; let rest at room remperature while preparing mousse, chutney, and chimichurri.

When sirloin reaches room temperature, season with salt and pepper, then sear hard in oil until medium rare, about 4 minutes on each side. Let rest 2-3 minutes after searing, then slice thin.

For goat cheese mousse:

Yield: 3 cups

3/4 c cream cheese

1/2 c sweetened condensed milk

1 c goat cheese crumbles

2 t salt

Paddle cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until incorporated, then work in goat cheese in thirds; add salt. Paddle until fully incorporated and stiff peaks form. Put in piping bag and place in fridge to thicken.

For mango chutney:

Yield: 2 cups

1 t butter

2 small shallots, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced small

1 1/2 c dried mango

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c honey

1 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 t cardamom

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T kosher salt

2 t white pepper

Melt butter in sauce pot over low heat. Sweat shallots and garlic in butter until tender, then add everything else, stirring well to combine. Increase heat to medium and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place in fridge to cool.

For chimichurri:

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

2 c fresh oregano leaves

1 shallot

3 cloves garlic

2 T cumin

1/2 c lime juice

1 T chili powder

1/2 t red chili flakes

2 T kosher salt

1/2 T black pepper

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

Throw everything in a blender; rip it on high until nice and green. Set aside in quart container. Serve alongside crostini.

To assemble crostini:

French bread

1/4 c butter, melted

oregano leaves, for garnish

Slice French bread into 12 pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Brush with butter and grill over medium heat until toasted.

Remove bread from grill and top each slice with seared sliced sirloin. Spoon on mango chutney to cover sirloin. Pipe on goat cheese mousse over chutney, as desired. Stick a few oregano leaves into goat cheese mousse for garnish. Serve chimichurri in a side dish with a spoon, spooning a little onto each bite of crostini you take. Serve and enjoy!

Chef Mike Phillips from The Craftsman prepared the dish, using ingredients from Pastureland Cooperative

For the meat:

6 two-bone beef short ribs

1 gallon beef stock

1 bottle red wine

1 large red onion, peeled and chopped coarsely

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped coarsely

3 stalks celery, chopped coarsely

1/2 C tomato paste

1 head garlic

5 fresh bay leaves

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and brown in a braising pan. Remove the meat, add the garlic and vegetables, and brown. Return the short ribs to the pan and deglaze with the red wine. Add the stock, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Cover and cook at 350 degrees until the meat is tender and pulls off the bones easily, about 3-4 hours. Refrigerate overnight. To reheat, remove the meat, heat the stock, and strain it away from the vegetables. Place short ribs in a pan and reheat with about a quart of the stock. Do not cover the short ribs with stock or a lid to ensure they develop a nice color.

For the beurre blanc:

1 lb fresh morels

1 lb PastureLand unsalted butter

1 shallot, diced

1/4 C cream

1/2 C white wine

salt, to taste

Clean the morels. Gently heat the butter in a double boiler or with indirect heat. The idea is to infuse the butter with the morels. Add the morels and let sit for a couple hours, never boiling or simmering. Refrigerate until hardened.

Reduce the white wine and shallot until the pan is almost dry. Add the cream and gently whisk in the cut morel butter piece by piece until you have whisked in the whole pound. Keep warm and season with salt. Serve immediately.

For the pickled ramps:

3 lbs ramps

1 1/2 quarts water

1 quart vinegar

1/2 quart honey

1 Tbsp salt

pickling spices such as mustard seed, allspice, nutmeg

Clean the ramps. Cut off the greens and root ends for the oil. Heat the water, vinegar, honey, and salt to a boil. Add the spices and pour over the cleaned ramps. They will be ready in a couple of weeks.

Peel the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender to a fork turn. Drain the potatoes and pass through a small plate of a food mill. Add 1 cup cream and 1/2 lb PastureLand butter and 1/2 cup ramp oil. Season with salt, to taste.

Buffalo Pot Roast with Cipollini Onion & Thyme

Prepared by Chef Paul Lynch from FireLake Restaurant

6 lbs buffalo chuck roast, cut 4" thick

salt and black pepper, to taste

6 oz bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

12 cipollini onions, peeled

8 green peppercorns, crushed

1/3 C Dijon mustard

2 Tbs tomato paste

5 bay leaves

1/4 C red wine vinegar

3 C au jus

20 oz Summit porter

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Season the buffalo chuck roast with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottom braiser, cook bacon until just rendered. Remove with slotted spoon and set limp bacon aside. Brown chuck roast in bacon fat, working in batches so you don't crowd the pan. After browning the chuck roast, remove from pan and pour off fat. Then brown bacon in same pot. Add the onions and brown lightly (about 5 minutes). Remove onions from pot and set aside. Add tomato paste and Dijon mustard, and cook 2 minutes. Add beer, au jus, red wine vinegar, bay leaves, and green peppercorns. Bring to a boil, add thyme, and return buffalo chuck roast to pan. Cover and cook at 325 degrees until tender (approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes). Return onions for the last hour of cooking.

Tenderize liver with a jacarding tool/meat mallet. Cover liver with yogurt and let marinade for 24 hrs. Clean and wash garlic scape. Bring chicken stock to a simmer and add garlic. Cook garlic until tender, avoid over-cooking. Add cream and puree in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Clean the onions and add to hot saute pan. Brown on one side. Add bacon larden and render the fat with the onions. Add cider vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add enough chicken stock to cover the onions halfway. Reduce until onions are tender. Remove from heat and add butter, salt, and pepper. Mix the flour and cornstarch, hydrate with cold water. Batter the onion rings and fry at 350° until golden brown. Remove liver from marinade and coat with flour, egg, and flour again. Fry at 350° until golden brown, or medium in temperature.

In a medium to shallow buttered or greased baking dish, form meatloaf by pressing into pan. Make sure the meatloaf is at least 1/2 inch away form all edges of the dish, and pressed tightly with no air holes in the loaf. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 min. Remove foil and finish meatloaf uncovered for an additional 20-30 min., or until the internal temperature is 160° or higher. Allow meatloaf to cool slightly and then cut slices to desired thickness.

Thoroughly mix flour, cayenne, brown sugar, and salt. Dust minced shallots with this mixture, and mix so that the shallots are evenly coated. In a shallow pot/large saucepan, melt the butter over high heat. When butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, add the dusted shallots. When shallots are soft, a splash of white wine is complimentary, but not necessary.

Stir in pistachios, cranberries, garlic, chives, and thyme. Stirring constantly, allow the cranberries to become a little plump and slowly stir in the heavy whipping cream, again, continually stirring. When all the cream is added, continue stirring and turn heat down to a simmer. When the mixture thickens, remove from heat and serve. A dollop of sour cream on top will add a great zip.

Serve meatloaf slices topped with gravy. This dish is delicious with either mashed potatoes or roasted pureed squash and steamed asparagus.

In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold steak and onion slices in one layer whisk together vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add steak and onions and turn to coat with marinade. Marinate steak and onions, covered, 15 minutes.

Drain steak and grill on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.

While steak is standing, drain onions, discarding marinade, and grill 5 minutes on each side, or until tender and golden. (Alternatively, steak and onions may be cooked in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan.) Slice steak thin across grain. Serve steak and onions sprinkled with gremolata.

Cool meat in sauce. When sauce is cool, remove excess fat from top. Remove meat from sauce, strain sauce into a pan, then reduce to coating consistency. Remove from heat and steep fresh sage and thyme into sauce.

Bison roast can be prepared 48 hours in advance. When ready to serve, slice meat into portions and reheat with sauce covered at 350 degrees F.

Prepare beef stock. Julia Child (The Way to Cook) or Madeleine Kamman (The Making of a Cook) both contain good sets of instructions. But basically, roast some bone-in beef like oxtail until it is done but not burned and then simmer in water with vegetables (nothing from the brassica family) and herbs. Strain, chill, and de-fat.

Reduce red wine to 1/3 c. by boiling over medium heat with parsley and thyme.

Preheat oven to 325°f. Select a heavy braising pot for the roast. Spread vegetables and ham in the bottom of the braising pot. Place the meat on top of it. Pour in enough beef stock to half cover the meat. Add reduced red wine and bouquet garni. Sherry, tomatoes, juniper berries, or garlic can also be added.

Cover the pot with a heavy, well-sealing lid, and put into oven. Cook for an hour and then turn the meat over. Continue to cook and turn every hour until the meat is done. This will take two to six hours depending. The meat is done when it is very done-almost fall apart stage or beyond is preferred.

When done, remove the meat from the liquid and put in a bowl to cool. Strain the liquid and chill. Remove the fat. Reduce the liquid to an appropriate consistency and amount for the meat you have.

You can serve this (reheated with the reduced cooking liquid/gravy) either mixed in pasta or with a side of buttered pasta-along with a crusty bread and green salad.

Put the olive oil into a heavy pot and heat until almost smoking. Add the meat and brown on all sides over high heat. Add the vegetables and continue to brown for about 10 min. Add the red wine and cook about 5 more min. Add the stock, tomato puree, garlic and herbs. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered for about 3-4 hrs. The meat should be submerged in the liquid, if not, turn the meat often. Pull out the meat and strain the juice. Return to the heat and cook over moderate heat until it thickens. Put the meat back into the juice to warm it. Gently pull apart and serve.

Season ribs with salt and pepper and dust all surfaces with flour. Heat a sauté pan with high sides that is large enough to accommodate the ribs. Add chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Using rendered fat, sear ribs until all sides are well-browned. Remove ribs to a cookie sheet and add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to the pan. Once mushrooms have browned and begin to soften, deglaze with red wine. Reduce by half, and add ribs back into the pan. Add beef stock and cover with a lid or foil, then place in a 325°F oven. Braise until tender, 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. Remove ribs and keep warm. Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Remove thyme and bay leaf and add the bacon back into the braise. Reduce until the liquid achieves a sauce-like consistency.

Heat oil in a large skillet and add onions and garlic. Sweat over medium heat until soft and beginning to sweeten. Spread on a baking sheet and allow to cool. Slice Yukon potatoes thinly on a mandolin slicer, so they are approximately 1/8-in. thick. Place sliced potatoes in a large bowl of cold, salted water. Line baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper. Begin laying potatoes in the baking dish, so that the edges overlap slightly. Using a pastry brush, paint potatoes with melted butter, season with salt, pepper, and herbs, and repeat. After two layers of potato are formed, spread some of the sautéed onion and garlic over potatoes. Season this layer, and repeat the potato step. Repeat cycle until the garlic and onion mixture and potatoes are gone, ending with a layer of potatoes on top.

Paint the top layer of potatoes with butter and lay a piece of parchment paper over it. Place the second baking dish on top, and place the whole thing on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350°F oven for 45-60 min. Carefully remove from oven, as some butter may have leaked onto the baking sheet. Cool the pave in the baking dish, leaving the second on top for at least 4 hrs. and up to a day. Once cooled, turn out the pave and remove parchment paper. Cut into squares. Heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick sauté pan and brown the pave. Place in a 350°F oven to warm through. The pave can be served immediately, and will resemble scalloped potatoes.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan and sweat the shallots. Add escarole, in batches if necessary, and cook until it begins to wilt. Deglaze with sherry and water, reduce heat to low, and simmer until greens are tender. Add the fresh tarragon and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

To plate:Place a piece of pave on a large plate or in a large, shallow bowl. Pile a portion of the escarole atop the pave, slightly off-center. Set one of the short ribs on top of both, and spoon some reserved sauce over everything.

Hanger Steak with Mushroom and Cherry Chutney

Chef Mike Phillips from The Craftsman prepared the dish, using ingredients from Hoch Orchard

Hanging tender is a cut of beef that hangs from the diaphragm and is attached to the last rib and the kidney. There is one steak per animal weighing roughly 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. The steak has a tough membrane running through the middle that needs to be removed.

Place the steak on a cutting board so the membrane runs vertical. You will see that the cut forms an X and the membrane runs through the middle of the X. Use a very sharp knife to cut the meat away from the membrane. You should be left with 2 steaks at about 10-12 oz. each. Trim away any remaining silver skin or membrane.

Rub the steak with oil and season liberally with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Grill to medium rare, about 3-5 min. on each side.

Clean and cut the hen of the woods mushrooms into teaspoon size pieces. Sauté the mushrooms with a little salt and oil. Remove from oil and set aside. Peel squash and dice into 1 cm pieces. Peel apples and onions and dice into 1-2 cm pieces. Place all ingredients in a large non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat. Maintain heat at a simmer for 1 hr. to thicken. Serve immediately, or keep in refrigerator to re-warm. Serves 6.

Sear chuck roast in butter over medium high heat until deeply brown on outside. Place in shallow pan with onions and stock, cover in foil, and roast in oven at 400° for about 2 hours. Meat should pull apart easily.

Cover potatoes liberally with water in large saucepan. Bring to rolling boil and reduce heat to light boil, approximately 12 minutes, until a paring knife can be inserted easily. Drain water from potatoes and mash until smooth, adding half and half, butter, and salt and pepper to taste.

Combine brisket with brine. Brine for 3 days. After 3 days, place grinding parts and bowl into freezer for 30 minutes. Once chilled, pull meat out of freezer and grind on high speed.

Mix powdered milk and chilled water together; pour into bowl over ground brisket. Mix with a paddle for about 1 minute. Place in refrigerator until casings are ready to be stuffed.

Stuff meat into casings and link sausages to desired length. Let dry at room temperature for 30 minutes, or leave in cooler overnight for casings to dry out. Cook in 180 degree water until internal temperature reaches 153 degrees F. If not consuming right away, immediatelyl shock in ice water, then let air dry again for 1 hour at room temperature. Store sausages in a plastic bag; place in cooler until ready to be cooked again.

Prepare grill or smoker for indirect smoking. Season chicken quarters heavily with rub. Smoke chicken quarters for 20 minutes. Heat oil in a large sauté pan and brown the chicken quarters on all sides. Remove from pan and reserve. Add shallots and mushrooms to the pan and sauté without browning. Add white wine and reduce by ¾ over high heat. Add the reduced chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken quarters in sauce and cook slowly until done, about 20 minutes. When chicken is done, remove from pan and reduce sauce to desired consistency over high heat. Add the chopped parsley and diced tomatoes and season if necessary. Place chicken back in pan.

Grill the corn and remove kernels from cobs. Also, char the poblano and red peppers. When skin is completely black, place in a bowl and cover with plastic for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, peel, remove seeds and dice the peppers. Heat oil in a large sauté pan; add the squash and zucchini and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until its aroma is apparent. Deglaze pan with white wine and add roasted diced peppers, green beans, and corn and cook for another 3 minutes, or until all ingredients are hot. Toss with butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve: On a large platter, serve chicken atop a generous bed of succotash. Cover with sauce.

Braised Chicken Legs & Thighs with Tomatoes & Heirloom Beans

Prepared by Chef Lucia Watson from Lucia's Restaurant

Soak beans in enough water to generously cover in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, drain and lightly rinse with cold water. Cover with plenty of cold water (at least 3 inches above the beans) in a heavy kettle. Add dash of olive oil, bay leaf, one whole tomato, a few unpeeled cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt. Bring beans to a boil, then reduce heat. Cook until tender to the bite, approximately 1-3 hours, depending on how dry and delicate the beans are. Drain (save the liquid for a soup), and season with butter, salt and pepper, and grated parmesan.

In a heavy casserole dish, heat oil until just smoking. Add chicken legs and thighs and brown all over. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, add garlic, onion, and peppers. Cook over high heat stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Add the wine, stir, and cook down for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper, and all the herbs. nestle the chicken into the pot and cook covered over medium-low heat about 40 minutes. Test for doneness in the thickest part of the thigh (you can peek in with a sharp knife). Remove any big pieces of herbs and stir in the cooked beans.

While the chicken is cooking, make the garnish. Zest the lemons and oranges. Chop or rip up the other herbs and mix with the zest.

To serve, put chicken, all the juice, and beans in a pretty bowl and sprinkle with the garnish.

Yields: 2 servings

Oyako Donburi (Chicken, Eggs & Onion served over Rice)

Chef Koshiki Yonemura from Tanpopo Noodle Shop prepared the dish, using ingredients from Farm on Wheels

In a small shallow pan, combine dashi, soy sauce, and mirin and bring to a gentle simmer. Add chicken and sliced onion in the pan and cook until chicken is almost done. Pour beaten egg in a gentle stream, then add mitsuba, arugula, or green onion. Cover the pot and simmer until egg is cooked. (In Japan, egg is never fully cooked. If you prefer it this way, use pasteurized eggs). Scoop white rice in a donburi (medium size bowl) and place chicken and egg over rice and serve immediately. Serves 1.

Kota Me Bamies (Braised Chicken with Okra in Red Sauce)

Chef Anna Christoforides from Gardens of Salonica prepared the dish, using ingredients from Zweber Farm

Heat sauteuse or Dutch oven-type pan. Mix dry seasonings together in small bowl and rub on chicken. Empty into hot pan and sear on all sides. Add sliced onions and olive oil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 45 min until nearly cooked. Add okra and stir gently, pulling the chicken and onions onto the okra. Cover and cook about 15 more min until okra begins to turn a darker green. Add tomatoes and gently shake pan to allow tomatoes to mix. Cover and cook until done, about another 20 min. Add chopped parsley, gently shake to mix in, then cover and let sit about 15 more min to allow flavors to mix. Serve with feta cheese, calamata olives, peasant loaf and a merlot type red or a malty beer.

Sauté the chicken, the garlic scapes, and the red onion in the olive oil for 3 min. Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, and olives and continue to sauté for another 2 min. Add the cooked pasta, half the parmesan cheese, and the tomatoes and continue to sauté for another few min. until the mixture is heated through. Place the mixture in a large serving bowl, toss with remaining parmesan and the sliced fresh basil (reserve several basil leaves to use as a garnish). Serve with several slices of grilled Trotter's focaccia breat.

Peel tomatoes by cutting an X through the skin the size of a nickel on the bottoms of the tomatoes. Then place in boiling water for 30 seconds and into an ice bath to chill. Remove skin and cut in half, gently squeeze out the seeds and discard. Chop tomatoes into bite size pieces. Then add the rest of the ingredients and slowly bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. This chutney can be canned use the high acid method for future use.

To make polenta:

Bring water and salt to a rolling boil, whisk in grits, reduce heat to a minimum and cover tightly, continue to cook for 30 minutes, remove from heat and fold in the butter reserving enough to coat a cake pan. Pour the hot polenta into the greased pan smooth out and chill. This can be done a day ahead. Cut the polenta into desired shapes with a cookie cutter then place into a preheated oiled sauté pan and into the oven at 400 turning once to evenly brown both sides. (About 15 minutes total)

Cooking the chicken:

Heat oil in sauté pan until just smoking, add chicken breast skin side down into pan for one minute, turn over and continue to cook another 3 minutes place back on skin side and finish in a 400 oven until a internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached (about 15 minutes) remove chicken from pan and deglaze with stock to make pan sauce. Mount with butter.

Presentation:

Place the polenta on the plate, with the chicken atop and chutney crowning the plate, Pan sauce can be drizzled around.

Place the stock and vegetables in a pot and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa in several changes of cold water. Add the quinoa to the stock and simmer until tender, about 7 minutes. Mix the quinoa with the olive oil and herbs. Season to taste.

For the Spring Chicken: De-bone and marinate a roasting chicken (approximately 3 lbs) in a mix of olive oil, parsley, garlic, shallots, lemon wedges, and thyme. Roast chicken skin side down until cooked through. Meanwhile prepare a nice mix of seasonal vegetables and mix in some pickled ramps. Serve chicken with the quinoa and the mixed vegetables.

In a medium pot, bring 6 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles and boil for about 1 minute, or until noodles are soft. Drain cooked noodles through a colander, and set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add cooked noodles to hot oil and spread them out evenly. Pan fry noodles for 3 minutes on each side until both sides are crispy. Transfer noodles to a serving platter, and set aside.

Nina suggests purchasing a whole Prairie Pride Farm chicken for this dish, using the chicken breasts in the stir fry and the remainer of the chicken to make a flavorful chicken stock. Nina's sauces are available at Chin Dian Cafe and Lunds & Byerly's grocery stores.

Brown the chicken all over in a non-stick frying pan. Set aside, but reserve the juices in the pan. Preheat the oven 400°F . Heat the butter, onion and raisins in an ovenproof saucepan big enough to hold the chicken, and cook until softened. Add the plums, juniper berries, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and stir through. Drizzle in a little honey and pour in orange juice to taste. Pour in the chicken stock and red wine. Simmer gently for a few minutes, then add a few sprigs of rosemary. Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken to the pan, place in the preheated oven and cook for about 1½ hours, basting several times. The plums will stew down and create a sauce to go with the chicken. The chicken will be cooked when the juices from the thigh run clear when pierced with a skewer. Meanwhile, for the creamy leek dish, heat the reserved juices in the chicken pan and add the butter. Fry the onion and chopped leek, then add the thyme. Pour the single cream over the leeks and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat through for a couple of minutes. Serve with the spicy plum chicken.

Roll out deboned thighs on cutting board, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper. Slice open piquillo peppers and lay inside chicken thighs. Crumble goat cheese onto piquillo peppers, positioning cheese close to the middle of each thigh. Roll up chicken thighs carefully, keeping cheese and pepper tucked inside. Tie each end of thighs with a tight loop of butchers twine. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

For chicken jus roti, heat medium saucepot and add 1 T olive oil. When oil is hot, lightly brown the chicken wings. After the wings have been browned, deglaze saucepot with white wine. Add chicken stock, lemon peel, fennel seed, basil stems, and black peppercorns. Simmer sauce for 2 hours or until sauce is reduced by 2/3. Skim sauce while reducing. Once the sauce is reduced, strain and chill until ready to use. Chop up chives, parsley, and tarragon. Mix herbs and save.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and season outside of chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat medium saute pan and add 1 T olive oil. Once oil is hot, sear chicken thighs until brown on all sides. Turn off heat and place 1/2 T of butter in pan. Once melted, slowly pour butter over the chicken thighs. Place in the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until done. Once pulled from the oven, allow chicken thighs to rest for 8-10 minutes. Heat chicken jus in small saucepot and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Finish sauce with 1/2 of the chopped herb mix and a small pat of butter. Cut twine from chicken thighs and slice them into coins. Place them in a small bowl, and pour chicken jus roti over. Garnish with remaining chopped herbs, and enjoy.

Cook cavatappi pasta for about 3 minutes; cool completely under cold water until ready to add to cream sauce.

In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter while adding onion and garlic. Stir to coat onion and garlic with melted butter. Add celery, carrots, sweet red peppers, and a cup of homemade chicken broth from cooking the chicken. Bring to a small boil until celery and carrots start to soften.

Add heavy cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Whisk on medium heat until reaching a small boil. Add cornstarch; continue to whisk on medium heat until mixture thickens (be sure it doesn't get too hot or it will scorch the bottom and ruin its flavor.) Add prepared pesto sauce and stir until pesto is fully mixed into sauce.

In a deep 9 x 13 pan, add cream sauce mixture, cold cooked noodles, peas, and cooked chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 30-45 minutes. Taste for seasoning; season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

To prepare wraps:

Put approximately 1 cup cooked chicken hotdish inside each tortilla; roll up like a burrito. Place on flattop grill and press with cast iron press until warm or burrito turns golden brown on each side. Diagonal cut and serve with a side, such as a fresh salad.

In a small mixing bowl, toss together paprika, nutmeg, salt/pepper mix until thoroughly incorporated. Lay boar portions out on a cutting board and season well. Place in container, cover, and allow to marinate for three to four hours in cooler or one hour in room temperature. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large rondeaux or braising pan, begin to sauté the pork belly in a bit of olive oil. Agitate often so to ensure the pork belly and spices don't stick and scorch. When pork belly has cooked to a light crispness, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and place in reserve container. Set aside. Begin to sear off boar portions in pork belly fat three at a time. Sauté each side to a dark chocolate brown, but not burned. Continually adjust heat so that the boar sears, but the seasoning and fond do not scorch. As each piece is finished, lay it aside in a pie pan.

When boar is seared, add mirepoix vegetable and garlic to the pot, and continue to sauté on medium low heat until the vegetables sweat and gather the fond from the bottom of the pan.

When veggies are cooked through and fond is scraped up, turn heat up to medium-high. When veggies begin to stick, de-glaze with red wine, reduce the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Allow alcohol to cook out, reduce heat to low, whisk in Dijon and tomato paste, add seared pork and whatever drippings have gathered on the pan. Cover with beef stock and demi glace, cover with two layers of foil and lid of a Dutch oven or rondeaux. Place in pre-heated oven and allow to braise for 2 1/2 hours.

Remove cooking vessel from oven and place on stovetop. Turn off oven. Remove cover from vessel and, being careful to avoid a nasty steam burn, peel back foil. Test boar by pressing it against the side of the pan with a fork or spoon. If it begins to break apart, it's done, if it's still firm to the touch, it's not and should go back in the oven to be checked every twenty minutes until tender. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove braised boar from jus and place side by side in baking dish. Cover with foil from braising process and set aside.

Puree braising liquid in vita-mix blender, pout in saucepan and simmer on medium-low heat. Add cooked pork belly. Allow grease and nasty bits to gather, skim off with a spoon and discard. If this process takes longer than ten minutes, slide your covered pork back in the oven to be kept warm by residual heat.

Serve each chunk of boar over your favorite starch (potatoes, polenta or farro are highly recommended), sautéed chanterelle mushrooms, a few roasted carrots, and a good six ounces of the jus and pork belly over the top.

Remove bones. When using Red Wattle pork, remove most of the outer layer of fat. Red Wattles have great marbling of intramuscular fat, so you don't have to worry about losing flavor.

Cut pork into easily manageable pieces (about 3" cubes) and pat each piece with a paper towel, drying it on all sides. Salt pork well. Preheat a small amount of oil in a pot large enough to fit all the pork and enough cooking liquid to cover it. Add onions and pork and cook together, sweating the red onions and searing the pork on all sides. The pork and onions will begin to release liquid; this is the beginning of your cooking liquid.

Stir in the beer, sugar, tomato paste, and maple syrup, as well as enough water to just cover the pork. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring periodically. The pork is ready when you are able to easily pull it apart with a fork.

Remove the pork from the pot and return the cooking liquid to the heat to reduce. Pull pork apart with a fork, and return it to the pot. Add crushed red pepper. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Reduce to desired consistency.

Chef's notes:

This simple one pot dish is easy to transport and reheats well. It's a basic recipe meant to be adapted to different seasons and tastes.

Chef Craig suggests pairing this dish with a simple slaw made of julienned apples, carrots and cabbage mixed with a bit of rice vinegar and a touch of maple syrup. Serve the slaw on crostini as an hors d'oeuvre or on a Kaiser roll for lunch or dinner.

Last but not least, Chef Craig says, "Cook with love and respect for the ingredients, the earth they come from, the people who grow them, and, most importantly, yourself and your intuition."

Cook spaghetti 8-10 min., just done. While spaghetti is cooking, crack and separate eggs and place yolks in a large, roomy serving bowl. Cook bacon or pancetta on stovetop until crispy, drain fat, cut to desired size, set aside, and let cool. Once pasta is cooked, strain and place in bowl with egg yolks. Immediately toss pasta with egg yolks; hot pasta will cook the egg. Add cheese and black pepper and salt to taste and all mix thoroughly until spaghetti is coated. Serve immediately.

While apple compote is cooling, dredge the pork cutlets in flour, then egg wash, then crumbs, thyme, and chives. Sauté in olive oil until crispy and browned on both sides. Keep warm in 300° oven while you make the polenta. (See Minnesota Cooks Website for Recipe)

Fire up your grill. I prefer oak for pork loin. Chop lime zest and place in mixing bowl with half the lime juice, sambal, garlic, honey, and mayonnaise. Mix well and chill. Using a meat mallet or a canned good wrapped in plastic, place pork loin on your cutting board, and pound out to about 1/2-in. thick cutlet. Season both sides with sea salt and pepper. Grill one side of each sourdough slice. Place each slice in the middle of a plate and brush with a bit of the chile and lime mayo. Grill both sides of the pork over indirect heat until about medium rare. Stack on cutting board and allow to rest. Grill pancetta until marked well and just done. Lay out tomatoes and place a few slices of onion atop each one. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. In a clean mixing bowl, place salad greens. Drizzle with olive oil and remainder of the lime juice. Take half the mixed greens and place them atop each slice of sourdough. Top greens with grilled pork and generously brush with chile and lime mayo. Finish each pork loin with two slices of tomato and onion, chopped basil, the remainder of the salad greens, and two slices of grilled pancetta. Serve with cold pilsner, Spanish white wine or Alsatian Riesling. Raise your beverage to those around you to celebrate a sunny afternoon in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and One Mighty River. Can I get an "Amen"?

Apple-Butternut Squash Gnudi with Roasted Pork Loin and Cider Caramel

For the gnudi:

1 2 lb butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

3 Zestar apples, peeled, diced, and sauteed until soft

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 C parmesan, freshly grated

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 C + 1 tsp salt

1 pinch freshly crached pepper

1 pinch grated nutmeg

3/4-1 C all-purpose flour (extra flour for dusting)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 3 quarts water with 1/2 cup salt and bring to a boil.

Arrange squash halves cut side down on an oiled sheet pan with parchment paper. Roast until squash is soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer squash to a cutting board or other work surface. When squash are cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from squash. Compost or discard the skins. Puree flesh in food processor or blender and measure 1 cup of puree. Place in mixing bowl and let cool.

Once cool, thoroughly stir in remaining ingredients, except for flour. Once mixed, add 3/4 cup flour and gently knead dough by hand for one minute. Add more flour, if necessary. Dough should be slightly sticky and soft. Turn out dough onto floured cutting board and cut into three equal portions. Roll each portion into long logs about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut each log into 3/4 inch dumplings with a bench knife.

When one log is rolled and cut, cook dumplings in boiling water until they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to an oiled baking dish. Repeat process until all gnudi has been cooked. Fully cool all gnudi.

For the roasted pork loin:

1 1/2 lb pork loin

Preheat oven to 425 degree oven. Roast for about 35 minutes, or until done.

For the cider caramel:

5 cups Nesbitt's Cider

In a saucepan, reduce cider on medium-high heat until cider just starts to smoke. Remove from heat immediately and cool to room temperature. Serve over pork and gnudi. (Cider caramel is also delicious served over ice cream.)

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large fry pan (14" diameter or larger) over high heat. When pan and oil are hot, add garlic and pork and stir fry approximately 1 minute. Add long beans and continue to stir fry until pork is done and long beans are still crisp. Remove pork and long beans to a plate.

Return the wok or pan to the heat, add the curry paste, and stir fry until fragrant. Return the pork and long beans to the wok and continue to stir fry, tossing/coating the pork and long beans with the curry paste. Add fish sauce and half of the kaffir lime leaves. Deglaze with water and stir fry until thoroughly mixed. Remove to a plate and garnish with the other half of the shredded lime leaves and julienned red peppers. Serve with steamed rice. Note: the entire cooking process should take no more than 4-5 minutes at most. Long beans should maintain their crispness. Serves 4.

The Draft Horse Sloppy Joe

Chef Luke Kyle from The Draft Horse prepared this dish using salumi from Red Table Meat Company and pork from Yker Acres

Bring tomatoes to boil in a stockpot, then cool immediately in an ice bath. Peel and dice.

In a large saucepan add ground pork and simmer on low heat. Add chopped vegetables; salt and pepper to season. Add diced tomatoes to saucepan and cook down on a simmer. Add remaining ingredients; season to taste. Serve on buns, and add cheese.

*For more information on these products, including how/where to purchase, visit these websites:

In a mortar and pestle, add remaining ingredients in order listed: first garlic cloves, crushing until a coarse paste forms, then chili flakes, sugar, salt, and zest, making into a further paste, next red wine vinegar, then olive oil, and lastly herbs.

Allow chimichurri to macerate while grilling sausages and vegetables. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary.

For sausages and veggies:

I prefer to roast everything over medium-high heat on the grill - indirect from the fire. Vegetables will likely have different cooking times, so a handy trick is to put a cast iron skillet on the grill: as vegetables get color and finish cooking, I toss them into the cast iron pan, piling everything up.

Once everything is roasted and cooked, peel corn (if using) and arrange vegetables on a large platter. Slice sausages on a bias a couple of times, and add to platter. Serve chimichurri on the side, or drizzled over everything. Enjoy!

In a preheated skillet using approximately 4 T olive oil, brown 3-4 pork shanks seasoned with salt and pepper. Transfer shanks to a roasting pan and add 1 C chopped carrots, 1 C chopped onion, 1 C chopped celery, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme and bay leaf. Also add a few whole peppercorns and allspice. In a roasting pan, add a combination of chicken stock and water to rise covering half of shanks. Cover with a lid or tin foil and slowly braise shanks in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for approximately three-four hours. Check and turn shanks over half way through cooking process. Meat will fall off bone when done.

For sauce:

Remove meat from roasting pan; set aside. Strain liquid through a fine mesh sieve and skim any fat from top of liquid. Heat liquid in a saucepot; reduce by half. Stir in 1 T butter and season to taste.

In a heavy saucepan, render bacon until lightly browned. Add and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in rice until lightly golden brown. Add 1/2 C wine and 1 C stock. Stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding stock and stir to slowly cook rice until rice starts to become tender. Add cheese and season to taste. When rice is done, it should be creamy, not stiff and rice grains should still have a slight bite to them (Add cream to desired consistency, optional).

Crabapple garnish:

Take approximately 8 chestnut crabapples; remove core and slice into small wedges. Sauté apples in 1 T butter until lightly browned. Add 1/4 C apple juice and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and add 6 ounces fresh arugula. Stir greens until wilted.

To plate:

Spoon risotto on center of plate; remove pieces of pork from shank and shred lightly. Place on top of risotto, spoon crabapples and arugula on top of pork and drizzle on sauce.

Serves 5-8

Croque Monsieur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 large skillets over medium low heat. Spread butter evenly over brioche slices. Place four slices of bread buttered side down on a clean work surface. Place one slice of cheese on each slice of bread, followed by three slices each of prosciutto. Top each sandwich with the remaining cheese, and finish with the last four pieces of bread, buttered side up. Using a large spatula, transfer the sandwiches to the preheated skillets. Fry until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, then flip the sandwiches over. Transfer the skillets to the oven for 5-6 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden and the cheese is melted.

Melt butter in saucepot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirrin goccasionally. Turn the heat up to high and whisk in 1/3 of the milk and cream. When the sauce comes to a boil, add another third and repeat until all the milk is incorporated. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns and mustard. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and add the cheese, whisking until melted. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

To serve:

Cut each sandwich on the diagonal and put on plates. Ladle 1/2 cup of the hot Mornay sauce on each sandwich. Garnish with chives.

Preheat conventional oven to 375°. Place pork loin on cutting board end-to-end, away from you. Carefully cut from one end to the other, not all the way in half, leaving about an inch connected. Filet the loin open on each side until it opens flat and is somewhat uniform. Cover with film wrap and carefully use tenderizing mallet to flatten and spread evenly to about 1/2" thick. Season the pork and evenly distribute the spinach, herbs, onions, garlic, goat cheese, parsnips, pears, and dried fruit, distributing heavier on the end closest to you. Drizzle with 1/4 c of honey. From the bottom side, tightly roll up the pork loin into a roulade tie with butcher's twine as a roast, or skewer ends with toothpicks. Season the outside surface with salt and pepper.

In a tall-sided sauté pan or roasting pan, caramelize and sear the outside of the roulade with garlic oil (reserved from roasting the garlic and caramelizing the onion). Brown evenly all around over medium to high heat for approximately 5 to 8 min. Remove pan from heat and carefully pour off the residual oil. Add the roasted pork jus (or stock on hand), and bring to just boiling. Finish covered over low heat on stovetop covered or in the pre-heated oven, turning over occasionally for 30 to 40 min. until done. Rest for 10 min., glaze with remaining honey, slice, and serve.

Bring water (stock) and cream to just boiling in a thick-bottomed saucepot. Add salt and lavender. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal, stirring to eliminate lumps. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon for about 20 min., until thick, creamy, and non-granular.

Thick polenta (to fry):

Follow above, but reduce water to 5 cups. When cooked, spread out evenly on a sheet pan with 1" sides to 3/4 or 1" depth. Polenta should be thick and firm enough to stay in place if you don't use the whole pan (tray). Chill well. Cut out squares (or any shape), lightly coat on side, and deep fry to golden brown. Season.

For the Parsnips:

Peel parsnips. When clean, use the peeler to make long shavings (as long as possible) to fry for crisp garnish (300° oil). Reserve the centers to cut rustically and gently cook in seasoned stock, glazing with honey drizzle, butter, and herbs to finish.

Combine all ingredients and blend well. Place in a medium stock pot and bring to a simmer, remove and let cool. Place pork tenderloins in brine for at least 8 hours and up to one day. Once pork has been removed from brine season with salt and pepper and place on medium high grill. Baste liberally with BBQ Sauce and cook to desired temperature.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and toss with Extra Virgin Olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast potatoes at 375° for approximately 15 min., or until tender. Remove and let cool to room temperature. In a large enough pan to accommodate all ingredients over medium high heat add 1/4 C of olive oil. Sauté onions, garlic, jalapenos, and olives for 1-2 min. Add potatoes and toss evenly to cover. Add mustard and coat potatoes evenly. Add cream and reduce to thick consistency. Finish by tossing parsley and serve immediately.

In a pan large enough to accommodate all of the Swiss chard over medium heat add 1 T olive oil. Add bacon and render until slightly crispy (add a few tablespoons of water if bacon begins to burn and watch the heat). Add onions and cook until translucent then add garlic and cook for 1 min. Deglaze with whiskey and add Swiss chard. Toss well and cover with a lid for 3-5 min. Season to taste and serve hot.

Ingredients from Axdahl's Garden Farm

Cure pork with equal parts salt, sugar, and chili powder for five days. Once cured, smoke meat with pimento wood for 2 hours at 225 degrees in a smoker or on a grill, using indirect heat.

When smoked, toss pork in a deep pan and cover halfway with pork stock. Cook pork, covered, for 2 hours in a 375 degree oven. Remove and allow it to cool enough to handle. Cut into serving portions. To reheat, put pork and stock in a 450 degree oven uncovered until hot.

For Axdahl's sweet corn:

10 ears Axdahl's sweet corn

1/2 lb butter

2 C heavy cream

salt to taste

Cut corn off cobs and place in a heavy bottom pan with 1/2 lb butter. Season to taste with salt and saute until tender. Remove half the corn from the pan. To the other half left in the pan, add just enough heavy cream to cover, about 1 1/2-2 cups. Cook corn and cream on medium heat until corn is very soft, stirring often. Remove corn and cream from heat, add to a blender, and puree until smooth (handle carefully - it will be hot and could burn).

Push corn puree through a fine sieve and add to the whole kernel corn.

For heirloom tomato jam:

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 Tbs oil

2 Tbs honey

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

10 ripe tomatoes, diced

salt to taste

Place shallots in a heavy bottom pan with 1 Tbs oil. Cook on low heat until translucent. Add 2 Tbs honey and cook on medium heat until it starts to caramelize. Add 3 Tbs red wine vinegar and cook until 90% reduced. Add diced tomatoes and salt and cook on mid-low until it develops a jam-like consistency, about 45 minutes. Serve with pork belly or as a side dish.

Place washed, trimmed, and portioned pork into a large bowl; sprinkle the mix of 7 spices/herbs over. Mix with hands to coat meat evenly. Allow to sit 20 minutes as greens are washed and trimmed.

Heat a large sauteuse (or any broad heavy bottomed pan with lid) over medium-high to high heat to sear meat. Stir vigorously to prevent sticking and to brown all sides. Pour lemon juice and wine over meat. Add half of the extra virgin olive oil. Cover and reduce to simmer about 2 hours, or until nearly fork tender.

Add greens and stir into the meat. Pour remaining extra virgin olive oil over greens. Cover, pressing lightly down on greens with cover as needed. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir and incorporate greens into the juices. Braise for another 15-20 minutes until all greens are tender. Turn off heat; allow to sit for 30 minutes.

2 slices 12 Grain or Sourdough bread from St. Agnes Baking Co. in St. Paul

2 T mayonnaise

1 T salted butter

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For crispy bacon, place bacon on wire cooling rack set on cookie sheet. Place in oven, and cook for 10 minutes or until crisp. For tender, juicy bacon, place bacon on foil-lined cookie sheet (make sure foil is folded up at sides to keep drippings locked in); bake approximately 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon and your preferred doneness.

Fry egg sunny side up over low heat to allow assembly time.

For assembly:

Toast bread, then butter one side of each slice (alternatively, you can butter bread first, then grill). Spread mayonnaise on non-buttered side of bread.

Place one slice of bread butter side down, then layer in this order: lettuce, bacon, tomato slices (sprinkled with salt and pepper, to taste), then sunny side egg. Place egg GENTLY on top so as not to break the yok - this is the most delicious bite! Top everything with your second slice of bread, and enjoy.

Golden's pairing recommendation:

Our house specialty Minnesota Bloody Mary Mix is made from 13 secret ingredients and served with pickle, salami, cheese, olive, and pepperocini garnishes and backed up with Minnesota's finest Grain Belt Premium beer chaser.

Fish/Seafood

Cedar Planked Honey Glazed Lake Superior Trout

Chef Bob Bennett from Bennett's on the Lake prepared the dish, using ingredients from Lake Superior Fish Company

In a medium saucepan, mix the lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, and buckwheat honey. Place on medium high heat and reduce by half or until you reach a syrup consistency. Add truffle oil and cool to room temperature. Note: syrup will probably become thicker as it cools. Hold until you are ready to use.

Pat the lake trout filet dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat sauté pan to high with grapeseed oil. Place trout in pan, meat side down, and sear to golden brown. Remove from pan and place filet on cedar plank. Brush on honey glaze and place in a 400° oven for 4 minutes. Remove and reapply glaze, then return to oven and finish cooking for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven; place the plank with the fish on a serving platter, garnish with vegetable relish and drizzle with glaze.

Place saute pan over a high flame. When pan is hot, add olive oil and fennel, and saute until fennel is crisp tender. Add blanched green beans and radishes. Saute until beans are heated through. Finish with lemon garlic butter; toss to coat. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Arrange fish on vegetables. Serve with ramekin of Green Goddess salad dressing and lemon wedge.

Bring butter to room temperature. Prepare all ingredients, as instructed. Whip herbs, garlic, shallots, zest, liquids, and seasonings into butter in a mixing bowl with a whip attachment. When all ingredients are incorporated, transfer to pan, and refrigerate.

Season the salmon with the sea salt and dredge one side in the sesame seeds (be careful to only get the sesame seeds on the side you are going to sear). Preheat a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet and cover the bottom with canola oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the salmon, sesame side down. Cook until the sesame seeds have started to brown. When they are starting to color, flip the salmon and add the butter. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then remove the salmon from the pan and pat dry on paper towels. Heat the asparagus in some tomato water (see below) and place in the center of a serving bowl. Place the salmon on top of the asparagus and heat up the remaining tomato water on the stove. As soon as the tomato water is hot, ladle it around the salmon. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and serve three halves per bowl. Garnish with sprigs of lemon thyme and serve immediately.

Tomato Water:

2 lbs Roma tomatoes Sea salt

Halve the Roma tomatoes and season with sea salt. Place in blender and blend until smooth. Pour the tomato mixture into a bowl lined with cheesecloth. Tie the cheesecloth into a bundle and let it hang with a container underneath to catch the water (you can let it drip as long as overnight if you put it in the refrigerator).

Mix until the butter pieces are small (pea-size) and add the cold water to bring the dough together. Roll out the dough into a 12 in. circular shape. Coat a 10 in. pie tin with cooking spray and place the dough inside. You may substitute with a pre-made sugarless pie crust available at your local co-op.

Whisk both mixes together in a metal mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into crust mix and bake at 350° for about 1 hr. Be sure to rotate and check periodically as cooking times may vary depending on the oven. Allow to rest when finished for about 15 min. and slice into 6 pieces.

Chef T.J. Rawitzer from The Third Bird prepared the dish, using gin from Far North Spirits

Place fish on a clean work surface and remove any small pin bones with pliers or tweezers. Place fish on a sheet pan with a wire rack. Mix salt and sugar together and evenly sprinkle mixture over fish. Lightly sprinkle gin over fish. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for three days.

After three days, remove fish from the refrigerator and lightly rinse off any visible salt. Pat dry with a paper towel and slice as thinly as possible.

Wash and clean all vegetables. Trim and cut so they are all roughly the same size.

Place all ingredients for pickling liquid in a medium-size saucepot and bring to a boil. Gently blanch each vegetable separately in pickling liquid, working through all vegetables in batches. When vegetables are lightly cooked, place them in a bowl of ice to cool and stop the cooking process. Once cooled, place vegetables on a plate lined with a paper towel until ready to complete the dish.

For the garnish:4 slices rye bread, diced small and toasted1 container creme fraicheinside leaves of one head of celeryhigh quality extra virgin olive oil, to tastelemon juice, to taste

To complete the dish:Place thinly sliced pieces of fish on the center of a plate or platter. Carefully arrange pickled vegetables around fish. Strategically place dots of creme fraiche around the plate or platter (about 1 oz creme fraiche per serving). Garnish by sprinkling toasted rye and celery leaves on vegetables.

Complete the dish with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Enjoy!

*A note from Chef Rawitzer: "100 years ago or so the natives of Lake Superior referred to the lake trout as Mackinaw. I like the term Mackinaw; it has a better sound to it and keeps a bit of history alive."

Preparation: Season the trout filets with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Pan sear the trout filets in olive oil, skin side down, in a cast iron pan or heavy-bottomed stainless saute pan. Sear for 3-4 minutes on skin side only until golden brown. Flip the filets and cook 15 seconds and then remove from pan and pat dry in a paper towel. Beforehand, mix all other ingredients in a non-reactive mixing bowl and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Presentation: Divide the smoked trout/corn relish between six plates. Place a seared fresh trout filet on top of the relish and serve immediately.

Preheat oven to 450°. Cut parchment paper into heart shaped pouches. Then, mix together melted butter, meyer lemon juice & zest and season to taste with salt & pepper. Layer slices of potato mixture on 1 side of each pouch near fold using each color in each pouch, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Next, layer fish fillet, then vegetables and finally mushrooms. Sprinkle meyer lemon butter and fresh chopped parsley over all and place a couple stems of fresh chives atop. Fold the left side of each over the filling & beginning at one end, fold and crease the edges together securely so no juices escape and all steams within the pouch, to the end of the heart. You will have a small tail of parchment paper that you will now fold under the pouch. Place in a single layer on baking sheet and bake until pouch is puffed quite a bit, 10 - 15 min. Remove from oven and place on a plate, garnish top of pouch with a crossed stem of chive flower and fresh chive, serve with a small pair of scissors to cut open the top.

The lightly curried butternut squash purée offers just enough heat to balance the sweetness of the squash and bring out the rich, sweet flavor of the seared scallops. Rounding out the dish is a drizzle of fresh basil oil providing a vibrant green color and herb aroma to compliment the bright yellow squash foundation. Adding a bit of salty pork fatty goodness is a garnish of fried "bacon bits" - locally raised and house cured. Serves 8-10.

Cut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Bake in a 300ºF oven until completely tender, about 2 hrs. Once cooled a bit, scoop out the squash into a food processor. Add softened butter, salt, pepper, curry powder, and half the stock, heated. Purée the mixture very well, adding additional seasoning to taste and enough additional stock to bring the consistency to that of porridge.

For the Basil Oil:1 bunch fresh basil1 C olive oil (not the expensive stuff)1 pinch kosher salt1 pinch sugarStem the basil and combine with the other ingredients in a blender. Purée the mixture and refrigerate.

Score the tops of the scallops and season lightly with salt. Add butter and oil to a heavy sauté pan and heat until very hot and bubbly. Add scallops scored side down (do not crowd the pan, and cook no more than 6 in a pan). Use a spoon to baste scallops until a golden crust develops on the bottom of the scallops. Turn scallops over, remove from heat, and allow scallops to finish cooking in the hot pan for a minute or two.

To serve:Spoon a nice dollop of squash and arrange 3 scallops in the center of a plate. Drizzle around the edge with a bit of the chilled basil oil and sprinkle some bacon bits on the scallops. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf. Enjoy!

Peel and slice potatoes paper thin. Heat vegetable oil in skillet and lightly sauté potatoes. Remove potatoes and place on sheet of plastic wrap so that potatoes create an overlapping sheet. Remove bones from walleye and lightly salt and pepper. Spread 1 oz of Boursin cheese over each fillet. Place fillets in center of sheet on potatoes, cheese side down. Fold potatoes over fish using the plastic wrap, until fish is completely coated in potatoes and remove plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake fish until internal temperature of 145˚F (about 10 min.). Mix diced tomatoes, chives, and the juice of the lemon together and set aside. When fish is almost finished, sauté garlic, leeks, peppers, and carrots. Remove fish from oven and place on plate. Spoon sautéed vegetables on walleye and top with tomato chive mix. Serves 4.

Victus Farm Tilapia and Leaves

Chef Tony Beran of Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar prepared this dish using tilapia and basil from Victus Farm (2013)

Yields: 4 servings

2 tilapia filets, skinned

1 c dried morels

½ t crushed red pepper

2 t salt

8 heads hydro-farmed romaine

2 c stock made from tilapia bones

½ c fish sauce

1 onion, julienned

3 whole cloves

2 pods star anise

1 stick unsalted butter

1-2 T grapeseed oil

¼ c chiffonade of basil

4 basil leaves, fried

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Grind morels, crushed red pepper, and salt in a spice grinder. Place in a bowl and mix in enough water to form a thin paste, about ¼ c. Cut filets in half and rub with the morel paste. Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Dip 6 of the romaine heads in the water for 30 seconds, then transfer to an ice bath.

Bring stock, fish sauce, onion, clove, star anise, and butter to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 35 minutes, strain and cool.

Cut in half and grill remaining 2 heads of romaine. Drain and dry boiled romaine. Roughly chop and place in blender. Pour in enough stock mixture to make a smooth purée.

Heat grapeseed oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place tilapia in pan and sear for 3 minutes. Flip and remove from heat. Allow fish to rest for 3 minutes. Julienne grilled romaine and toss with puréed romaine.

Divide among 4 plates. Place a piece of tilapia on top of dressed romaine. Surround each filet with 5 tomato halves. Top fish with chiffonade of basil and fried basil.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, leeks, and garlic. Cook until translucent but not browned.

Next, add Pernod through the parsley and a small amount of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Add trout and walleye and bring back to a low simmer for 20 more minutes. Finally, add mussels and clams and cook 5-10 more minutes, or until shells open. Discard unopened shells. (If substituting shellfish, cook shrimp until just pink or scallops until opaque.)

Taste broth and add more salt, pepper, or crushed red pepper, if necessary.

Place fish and shellfish equally in bowls and cover with tomato saffron broth. Serve with crusty bread topped with rouille.

Season duck breast with salt and pepper. Melt butter in large sauté pan. Place duck breast, fat side down, in pan and sauté to a golden brown. Turn and continue to sauté to a golden brown. Place pan in preheated 400° oven and roast to internal temperature of 160° for medium rare.

Combine cranberries, wine, demi glace and glace de viande in saucepan. Bring to boil over medium high heat and reduce to desired sauce-like consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and swirl in butter to finish. Slice duck breast on diagonal and fan on plate. Drizzle sauce across duck breast. Serve with dressed baby field greens, wild rice pilaf, or your favorite side dish.

Duck Three Ways

Chef Joan Ida from Tria prepared the dish, using ingredients from Whistling Well Farm

Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. In a non-reactive sauté pan, set the breasts skin-side down. Turn the heat to low and render the fat slowly. This will crisp the skin. If too much fat pools in the pan, top it into a bowl. Save the fat for another use. When the skin has cooked down, remove the breasts from the pan and pour out any remaining fat. Return the pan to a burner and turn up the heat. Return the breasts, skin side up, to the pan. Saute until medium rare. Glaze the skin with rosemary honey. Remove from the pan and let the cooked breasts rest.

Over a medium heat, in a non-reactive pan, heat the duck fat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the rice and a little salt. Saute the rice, stirring, for five minutes until the rice begins to stick to the pan. Add the thyme. Stir in the wine and let it absorb into the rice. Ladle the stock into the rice, 1 C at a time. Continue to stir. When it absorbs into the rice, add another. Taste it after about 15 minutes to see if it needs salt. Season as you go. This process should take about 20 minutes. The rice should be creamy looking, firm yet cooked. Add the confit and mushrooms. Cook to heat through. Add the butter and toss in the cheese to melt. Remove from the heat.

Heat a non-reactive pan on high heat until it smokes. Working quickly set the foie gras in the pan. Saute the liver quickly as to not lose its fat. Remove from the pan and let rest. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the fat from the pan and reserve it for another time. (Kept in a cooler, it will keep for 2 weeks). Add the shallots to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, apples/cherries, and the pepper. Cook to melt the sugar and caramelize. Pour in the Grand Marnier, careful not to flame it. Reduce to syrup. Add the stock. Whisk in the butter, season with salt.

To serve dish:

On a plate, set a nice mound of risotto in the center. Slice the roasted duck breasts and arrange around the risotto. Set the foie gras on the risotto and spoon the sauce over the top.

Serves 4

Confit of Duck with Roasted Fennel and Lavender

Chef Matt Annand from Prairie Bay Restaurant prepared the dish, using ingredients from The Farm on St. Mathias

Liberally season duck with salt and pepper, and combine in a container with herbs and veggies, layered and scattered evenly together. Wrap and chill for a day (or 2 -3 for preserving). Preheat oven to 225˚F. Drain excess liquid and gently brush off excess salt from the duck. In a small roasting pan, use a little duck fat to caramelize fennel, garlic, onion, and celery root to a golden brown color. Kill the heat and recombine all ingredients in layered form, skin side up. Completely cover with the duck fat. Place in oven and gently cook approx. 7-8 hrs. so that the fat never boils, until the duck is very tender and easily separates from the bone. Carefully remove from oven and let everything cool in the fat. Completely covered duck can be refrigerated for up to 6 months. Carefully remove duck from the fat to keep everything (fat, bones) intact. Strain and reserve the fat (to use again) while hot, add vegetables to a blender to purée, and thin to desired consistency with stock. Adjust seasoning. In a sauté pan with a little rendered fat, re-crisp fat on outside leg. Serve overtop purée and garnish with perfectly cooked, seasoned produce including heirloom carrots, crisp fingerlings, black trumpets, celery root, and lavender honey.

Lamb

Star Thrower Lamb Ragout with Star Thrower Camembert Polenta

Chef Mike Phillips from The Craftsman prepared the dish, using ingredients from Star Thrower Farm

For the meat:10 lbs raw lamb shoulder and shank (both shoulders and all four shanks)1 large onion, chopped1 large carrot, chopped3 stalks of celery, chopped1 head of garlic5 fresh bay leaves1 bottle of red wine2/3 C tomato paste1 gal. meat or chicken stock

Season meat with salt and pepper and brown in a heavy-bottom braising pan. If you do not have a large pan, cut the shank and shoulder into smaller cuts and brown in batches. Take all the meat out and drain any fat. Add vegetables and garlic to the pan and brown, scraping up meat residue on the pan. Add wine and put meat back in pan. Add the stock and bay leaf and season liberally with salt and pepper. Braise in a 400˚F oven partially covered until the meat falls apart. Chill overnight in the liquid.

Gently reheat meat until you can still handle it. Pick all meat off the bone and reserve. Strain braising juice to remove vegetables. In a heavy bottom saucepot, sweat the pancetta/guanciale, garlic, vegetables, and bay leaf with a cover on the pot at low heat. This will allow proteins in the meat fat to melt and give sauce a velvety mouth feel. When the onions and meat fat are translucent, add lamb meat and braising liquid. Simmer on low for an hour. If it needs more liquid and more stock, adjust seasonings.

For the polenta:8 C boiling salted water2 C polenta (grits if you can get them)1/2 stick butter

Boil water in a heavy bottom pot. Add polenta slowly stirring with a whisk. Turn the heat to low and cook for an hour or two until the polenta reaches a consistency you like. Add butter and adjust seasoning.

To serve:Ladle some polenta on a pasta bowl. Dot it with the Camembert and ladle some of the ragout on the side. Garnish with whatever herb you like.

Fasolakia Arni (Lamb and Green Beans)

Chef Anna Christoforides from Gardens of Salonica prepared the dish, using ingredients from Hill and Vale Farm

Heat brazier or Dutch oven pan on medium high and sear lamb. Then add garlic, cinnamon stick, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly until browned. Reduce heat. Add tomato sauce (in the summer when tomatoes are plentiful and ripening everywhere, I cut 4 on the hemisphere, squeeze out the seeds, and grate over the meat until nothing but the peel is left in my hand).

Cover and reduce to a very low flame. Stir periodically to ensure that all the meat cooks in contact with the tomatoes, about one hour or until the meat shreds or falls off the bones. Remove from heat and let cool. In a separate Dutch oven heat oil. Cook onions with bay leaves, basil, salt, and pepper until translucent. Add green beans and cook, stirring, until they just start to turn from bright green to army green. Add tomatoes. Cover and reduce heat until desired texture of the beans is reached (Greek cooks tend to cook until very soft). To test for texture, cut one bean with a spoon against the side of the pan. There should just be a remaining crunch when the meat is added. To add the meat, either lift the lamb and tomatoes out with a slotted spoon, or skim off the fat from the meat and pour the lamb and tomatoes into the green beans. Simmer an additional 10 minutes until the flavors blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a plate with crusty peasant bread and chunks of feta.

Moroccan Spiced Lamb with Quinoa Tabbouleh

Larry and Colleen Wolner from Blue Heron Coffeehouse prepared this dish, using ingredients from O'Neill Family Farm

Cut lamb into 1 1/2-inch cubes; place in a medium-sized bowl. Season lamb with turmeric, ginger, and 1/2 t salt.

Heat a Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 T olive oil and half of the seasoned lamb. Cook lamb until browned on all sides, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove lamb from pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining oil and lamb. Return seared lamb to pan and add diced onions. Cook, stirring to get browned bits off bottom of pan, for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, saffron, and cilantro bundle; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Pour 1 c boiling water over apricots and raisins and let sit 20 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Using a slotted spoon, remove meat, place on clean plate, and keep warm. Bring remaining liquid in pan to a simmer. Add sliced onions, apricots, raisins, honey, cinnamon, ground pepper, and 3/4 t salt. Return liquid to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes, or until mixture is slightly thickened. Add cooked lamb back into sauce and heat through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs. Serve with Quinoa Tabbouleh and yogurt (optional).

Bring 3 c water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and 1/2 t salt. Stir, lower heat, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain, if needed, and cool to room temperature.

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and fresh black pepper. Pour over cooled, cooked quinoa. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste for seasonings - it should be lemony and very zesty.

In a heavy duty casserole, heat the oil until smoking hot. Season the meat with the salt and pepper and brown in batches on all sides. Transfer to a plate and add the vegetables and garlic to the kettle. Lightly brown the vegetables. Add the wine, herbs, tomato paste and stock to the pot and gently slide the shanks into the broth, covering the shanks with the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and then transfer the kettle to a 350° oven. Cook approx. 2 1/2 hrs. or until the meat is meltingly tender, turning and basting the meat occasionally. Check the meat by inserting a fork and gently tugging. It should easily give way. If not, continue cooking. Remove the shanks from the kettle to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the broth, return to the kettle, and bring to a boil until it is slightly thick and glossy. Taste for seasoning. Slide the shanks back into the broth, stir in fresh herbs and, if desired, a pat of cold butter. Serve with soft polenta and minted dried fruit. Serves 6.

This recipe pairs very well with Alexis Bailly's newest wine, Voyageur. Voyageur is a big, opulent, and rich red wine that uses a blend of Alexis Bailly grapes - old world French grapes and new varieties developed by the University of Minnesota. A blend of the fruit from their oldest vines and some of their newest plantings, this is a complex, full-bodied wine that is supple on the palate. Voyageur was created in the adventurous spirit of the Minnesota Voyageurs for whom it is name.

Lake Country Lamb Chops

Josh Hanson from Spanky's Stone Hearth prepared the dish, using ingredients from the Bunkowski family farm (2013)

Yields: 2 servings

4 rib lamb chops

4 oz olive oil

1 oz fresh mint leaves

3 oz fresh rosemary sprigs

1 T coarse grind black pepper

1/2 oz fresh thyme

½ oz white wine

6 oz mint jelly

1/4 c heavy cream

6 oz balsamic vinegar

4 oz Worcestershire

4 oz brown sugar

Coat both sides of lamb chops in olive oil, mint leaves, rosemary and black pepper. Set aside in cooler for 2-4 hours.

In stockpot sauté thyme in white wine until fragrant; add mint jelly and cream. Whisk until completely blended and smooth. Take off heat and set aside.

In a stockpot boil balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire down by half, then add brown sugar. Reduce until a thick band forms around whisk. Set aside.

Cook lamb chops over charcoal for 3 minutes on each side or until medium rare. To serve, place 1 oz mint jelly in middle of serving plate and whisk in balsamic around edges of mint jelly. Place lamb chops around sauces and serve.

Herb Marinated Grilled Leg of Lamb with Late Summer Vegetable Ragout

For the lamb and marinade:

1 boneless lamb leg

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

6 cloves garlic

1/2 C good olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Remove lamb from its packaging and dry with a towel. If the lamb is wrapped in netting, remove the netting without cutting it and save it. You will replace it on the lamb after you marinate it.

For the herb marinade, combine rosemary, garlic, and oil in a blender and puree. Rub the lamb with the marinade both inside and out. Season the inside of the lamb with salt and pepper and reshape it to its form when it was packaged. Replace the netting around the leg and reapply more of the marinade to the leg and season with salt and pepper. This should be done 6 hours before cooking.

Cook the lamb on the grill or in the oven over low heat, 250-300 degrees, continually rotating every 8-10 minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 120 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest for at least 45 minutes to 2 hours. This can be done well before your guests arrive.

For the vegetable ragout:

8 medium sized carrots

1 lb wild mushrooms, or domesticated, if you prefer

16 shallots

16 fingerling or small new potatoes

1 T canola oil

1 T butter

salt and pepper

Peel carrots and shallots and set aside. Wash mushrooms and potatoes. Coat the vegetables with the oil and butter, season with salt and pepper, and roast the carrots, shallots, and potatoes in a 300 degree oven until al dente. Add the mushrooms and cook for five more minutes. Remove from the heat. This can be done in advance and re-warmed when your guests arrive.

When ready to serve the lamb, remove the string and slice. Arrange the meat on a serving platter and cover with the vegetables and their juices. Reheat in the oven for a couple of minutes until warm and serve.

Cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch together in a 4-quart pot of boiling water 1 min. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin, beginning from scored end, with paring knife. Coarsely chop tomatoes and transfer to a 5-quart heavy pot with garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, and 1/3 c oil. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 min. While sauce is simmering, toss eggplant with 1/2 tsp. salt in a large colander and let stand in sink 30 min. Meanwhile, cook onions in 3 tbsp. oil with 1/4 tsp. salt in a 12" heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 min.

Transfer onions with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, then add 3 T oil to skillet and cook bell peppers and sweet corn with 1/4 t salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 min. Transfer peppers with slotted spoon to bowl with onions. Add 3 T oil to skillet and cook zucchini with 1/4 t salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 min. Transfer zucchini with slotted spoon to bowl with other vegetables. While zucchini is cooking, pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Add remaining oil (about 1/4 cup) to skillet and cook eggplant over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 min. Add vegetables, remaining tsp. salt, and black pepper to tomato sauce and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 1 hr. Cool, uncovered, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cannon River Meritage Red Beet Risotto

Prepared by Chef's Dick Trotter and Lisa Scribner from Trotter’s Café

1 1/2 C Arborio rice

2 C red beets, shredded

1/2 C shallots, sliced

1 T olive oil

3 T butter oil

1/2 C Cannon River Meritage Red Wine

4 C vegetable or chicken stock (hot)

3 oz parmesan cheese (reserve 2 T for garnish)

salt and pepper to taste

Using a large saute pan, saute beets in 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Put beets aside and in the same pan, saute shallots in 1 T butter for 5 minutes. Add Arborio rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook out alcohol. Then add hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring, adding, stirring, adding, etc. Check consistency. When Arborio rice is tender but not mushy, stir in kale mixture, sauteed beets, cheese, 1 T butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with roasted red and yellow beets, thyme, parsley, and reserved parmesan.

For the kale mixture:

2 T olive oil

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped

1 1/2 C crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 C wild rice, cooked in 3 C water for about 40 minutes, before you add to kale

Toss beets in oil and salt (separately, so the red beet doesn't bleed into the yellow beet). Roast at 450 degrees until tender inside and a little crispy/caramelized on the outside, about 20-30 minutes. Use the roasted beets to garnish the risotto, along with the fresh thyme, parsley, and parmesan.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add mushroom, shallot, garlic, celery, carrot, and red bell pepper, and saute for 5 minutes. Add wild rice and freekah and continue to saute for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken stock, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Add rinsed GABA rice and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add quinoa, cover, and simmer for a final 15 minutes. The quinoa and wild rice should "bloom" at the same time. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Whisk together the chia seeds and warm water for several minutes, until a gel is formed. Add chia gel to the rice mixture and stir well.

Cut out tomato stems and use a paring knife to score the opposite ends. Blanch in near boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer quickly to an ice bath. Remove the skins and fillet the flesh of the tomato, removing the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, then grill the tomato flesh until somewhat charred, approximately 4 minutes on each side.

Pulse the tomato flesh in a processor with salt, pepper, and whole grain mustard.

Chef Heather Meyer of Farm to Fork personal chef services prepared this dish using greens, eggplant, and tomatoes from rebelSoil

Yield: 4 servings

Chef Healther's note: This dish came from my love of eggplant and from how many people say they hate eggplant! It's important to choose one that is firm, and the Italian heirloom varieties that rebelSoil grows are less bitter and a great foil to their fantastic myriad of heirloom tomatoes. This dish is great served warm, room temperature, or cold.

For eggplant:

2 large eggplant (globe or Italian heirloom)

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, or heat up your grill (eggplant are great grilled!).

Using a vegetable peeler, partially peel eggplant lengthwise to create zebra stripes, then slice 3/4" thick lengthwise. Brush eggplant slices with extra virgin olive oil, and salt to taste. Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for 20 minutes, turning over halfway. Make sure they are soft but not falling apart.

If you are grilling eggplant, have a hot grill ready. Place tin foil over 1/2 of the grill, brush with oil, and cook eggplant until soft. Set aside.

Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Place 2 tablespoons filling onto each eggplant slice, and roll up. Place into a baking dish or platter. Top with fresh tomato sauce (recipe follows) and herbs. Can also be baked, covered, and served warm.

For fresh tomato sauce:

Yield: 2 cups

3-4 large tomatoes, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 T olive oil

6 big, fresh basil leaves, torn

salt

pepper

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until chunky. Serve on top of grilled eggplant roulades.

Sauce will last in fridge for 2 days.

Note: This dish can be made ahead. Store eggplant roulades and sauce separately.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Break down the rabbit: cut front and hind quarters off, and bone out the loin (set front and hind quarters and loin aside for later use). Cut remaining carcass into 4 pieces. Place rabbit carcass in roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic, and roast for 30 more minutes, or until veggies are browned. Remove veggies and rabbit. Place roasted veggies and rabbit in a large stock pot. Add water. Bring to a simmer. Skim off foam. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 4 hours. Strain stock through a fine colander and throw out remaining solids.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place olive oil in Dutch oven. Salt and pepper reserved rabbit quarters and brown in a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat, being careful not to burn the rabbit. Remove browned rabbit quarters from pan, place on plate and cover loosely with tin foil. Saute vegetables in the same pan until veggies are caramelized. Remove vegetables and deglaze pan with white wine. Reduce until almost dry. Return caramelized vegetables and rabbit quarters to Dutch oven. Add rabbit stock until ingredients are just covered. (You will have extra rabbit stock. Freeze and save for a later use.) Bring to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove rabbit, place on a plate and loosely cover with tin foil. Strain and reserve braising liquid. Vegetables can be thrown away.

In the Dutch oven reduce braising liquid by half. Place rabbit quarters and the seasoned uncooked loin in the Dutch oven. Add cerignola olives and apricots to the rabbit. Cover with lid. Place on stove top and braise at medium-high for 10 minutes or until the loin is cooked (Thermometer reads 150 degrees F, or it just looks correct). Remove rabbit, place on a serving platter and loosely cover with tin foil. Reduce braising liquid down to 1 cup. Add butter, Italian parsley, and season to taste. Pour sauce over rabbit. Serve with gnocchi, pasta, vegetables, or on its own.

Gradually stir water into chickpea flour – a fork or whisk is best for this in order to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper. Batter should be thin and smooth. It will thicken as it sits, so add more water as needed.

Heat about 1 T oil in a good nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Test pan with a few drops of batter. If it sizzles, it's ready. Give batter one more stir (it separates easily, so stir to recombine), and pour into pan with a circular motion. You are aiming for a 6” wide crepe. Wait until bubbles form and edges get crispy, then carefully flip crepe (a good rubber or silicone spatula works best) and cook other side. Store on a plate with waxed paper between them – they reheat well.

Helen’s note: Chickpea flour, also called besan or gram flour, is available at specialty stores, health food stores, and ethnic markets (such as Holy Land in Minneapolis). It can also be made by processing chickpeas in a powerful blender (such as a Vita-Mix, or something comparable).

Helen’s note: Butternut squash is my vegetable of choice, but you can substitute whatever you want if you don't like squash. Toss squash pieces with a little oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 400° F for about 25 minutes, checking on them after 20 minutes.

For balsamic vinaigrette:

1 c balsamic vinegar

3 T Dijon mustard

2 T sugar

dash salt and pepper

2 1/3 c oil (I like a 50/50 mix of extra virgin olive oil and a milder oil , such as sunflower)

Combine first four ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in oil, pouring it in a steady, thin stream.

For assembly:

sprouts (however many you want)

goat cheese (ditto)

eggs (one per crepe)

Lay crepe on a plate. Top with sprouts, roasted squash, and goat cheese. Fry an egg (I prefer over easy) and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.

Ratatouille Lasagna

Chef Scott Graden from New Scenic Café prepared the dish, using ingredients from Grass Roots Farm

Place spinach in a small saucepan. Cover and place over low heat until wilted. Remove lid, add mascarpone and cream, and reduce until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice eggplant, zucchini into long, flat ribbons, approx 1/8-in. thick. Slice tomatoes 1/4-in. thick. Drizzle slices with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cook gently on a griddle pan or over low heat on a grill until just heated through. Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add shallots and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until lightly caramelized.

Place room temperature goat cheese in an electric mixer. Add all of the spices and herbs. Using the paddle, mix on high speed for 1 min. Stop, scrape down the bowl. Add cream. Turn on low speed for 30-45 sec. until mousse-like and smooth. Do not over-whip or leave runny.

Quinoa:1/4 lb quinoa1 T kosher salt1/2 T turmeric

Bring about 1/2 gallon of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add kosher salt and turmeric, stir. Add quinoa. Cook until the outer "spine" reveals itself and the grain is al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water. Refrigerate and reheat as desired.

Using mandolin slicer, shave garlic very thin. Place 1 c milk in sauce pan. Bring to slow boil. Strain and rinse with cool water. Repeat steps 2-4 two more times. When complete, place canola oil in a sauce pot on medium heat. Bring oil to 300˚F, add garlic, and fry for 10-13 min. Garlic will turn light brown after evaporating the moisture content. Place on a paper towel to drain and salt and pepper lightly.

In a saute pan just big enough to hold the onions, shallots, garlic, and olive oil, sweat the veggies untnil soft (no color). At the same time, smoke tomatoes (using the smoker's directions). Smoke until soft and full of juice. While still warm, blend tomatoes with softened vegetable mixture until completely smooth. Cool fast.

For the hand chopped garden pesto:

2/3 C parmesan cheese, peeled with a peeler

1/4 C lemon skin, micro planed (no white, only yellow)

1 small lemon, cut into segments, seeds removed (do not add until assembling the dish)

4 C opal basil, lightly packed, stems removed

2/3 C pine nuts, toasted

2 T shallots, thinly sliced, blackened on one side, raw on the other (no oil)

6 Fresno chilies, cut into 1/8" roundels

1/4 C garlic slices, 1/16" thick

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste

In a pan, burn shallots and remove. Add extra virgin olive oil and garlic to the pan and cook until golden brown, then add the opal basil. Cook until just wilted. Transfer shallots, garlic, and basil onto a cold cookie sheet pan. Once cool, add remaining ingredients, roughly chop mixture, and salt to taste.

Wait to add the lemon segments until assembling the dish! (Lemon will discolor the pesto if added too early.)

For the cavatelli pasta:

1 1/2 C semolina flour

1 1/2 C bread flour

3/4 C water, warm to the touch (have more warm water available, as needed)

extra virgin olive oil, as needed

salt, to taste

In a large bowl, mix semolina and bread flour and add water until it comes together; it should feel firm, yet soft enough to knead until smooth (about 3 minutes). Rest the pasta dough for 20 minutes, and then roll the pasta to about 1" thick on a wooden cutting board. With a sharp knife slice 1/4" slices. Flip it on its side and cut a 1/2" thick piece of pasta to form a rectangle pasta shape (keep covered and don't get too far ahead; the pasta dries fast.)

Using a gnocchi board and two fingers, push the dough over the board forming a long tight seashell looking pasta shape. Boil water and cook pasta until just cooked. Drain well, add to a bowl with extra virgin olive oil and salt before spreading out to cool quickly.

There should be extra pasta, which can be frozen.

For the tomato raisins:

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Coat the grape tomatoes with the olive oil. In a dehydrator, dehydrate grape tomatoes until half their original size, or, if using an oven, dry at 170 degrees until raisin-like (keep at room temperature for that day only).

For the fried shallots and garlic:

1/4 C shallots, sliced 1/8" thick

1/4 C garlic, sliced 1/16" thick

canola oil, enough to fill 1/3 the pot (add garlic slowly and carefully, as it will bubble up)

salt, to taste

In a deep pot heat oil to 280 degrees. Working in batches, fry shallots until golden brown, then garlic. Salt like chips.

To assemble an order of Fair Cavatelli:

1/4 heaping C hand chopped garden pesto

lemon segments from 1 small lemon

10 Thai basil baby leaves

1/2 C smoked heirloom tomato sauce

2 T butter, cubed

10 Thai basil leaves

20 Opal basil baby leaves

1/2 C parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 Fresno chilies, sliced into 1/8" roundels

1 zucchini, cut into diamonds (preferably using a lot of green and very little white)

1/4 C tomato raisins

1 T blackened shallot rings, 1/8" thick

10 Padron chilies, sliced into 1/2" roundels

4 squash blossom flowers, sliced 1/4" thick

1 C Cavatelli pasta (cooked)

2 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C fresh mozzarella

In a 9" saute pan, add the tomato sauce and pasta. When hot, stir in the butter a little at a time until thickened; remove from heat (this sauce can break if it gets too hot). Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put pasta on a large oval plate and spot in the mozzarella; broil until just melted. in a saute pan, add the extra virgin olive oil and Padron chilies and cook until soft. Add zucchini and shallots, cook briefly, and spot on top of pasta. Add remaining ingredients and serve.

Barley Risotto with Lamb & Skyr

For barley:

1 1/2 cups water1/2 tsp salt1 cup barley (pearl or hulled)

Bring water and salt to a boil, add barley, and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Barley should soak up all of the water and still have a little "al dente" snap to it. Spread on a tray to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat medium-large saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and butter for a minute until hot, but not smoking. Add carrots, onions, and kale. Cook until fragrant and a little golden. Add garlic and ginger, and saute until fragrant and golden, but not browned. Immediately add both broths.

Add barley, spice blend, salt and pepper, and stir well. Simmer and stir until broth is reduced by half. Add lamb and herbs, taking care not to overcook them. Taste occasionally and tweak seasoning, if desired.

When liquid is almost absorbed, stir in skyr over low-medium heat. Check final seasonings. Risotto is done when most of the liquid is absorbed, although there should still be a little "gravy" at the bottom of the pan.

Garnish risotto with a tablespoon of Skyr on top and some whole leaves or chopped parsley.

Yields: 8 servings, 1/2 cup each

Paella Primavera

Dick Trotter and Lisa Scribner of Trotter's Cafe and Bakery prepared this dish using ingredients from Northwoods Organic Produce (2013)

This recipe combines fresh vegetables, flavored Basmati rice, and a pepper-onion sofrito to create a taste of Spain!

For sofrito:

1 red pepper, small dice

1 yellow pepper, small dice

1 medium red onion, small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 T olive oil

In Dutch oven, heat oil and begin to sauté vegetables. Cook and stir occasionally until vegetables become paste-like, about an hour.